{"id":3400,"date":"2013-03-08T14:08:46","date_gmt":"2013-03-08T14:08:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/?p=3400"},"modified":"2013-03-08T14:08:46","modified_gmt":"2013-03-08T14:08:46","slug":"looking-for-a-pearl-among-small-tomatoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/2013\/03\/08\/looking-for-a-pearl-among-small-tomatoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking for a pearl among small tomatoes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Debra Samuels<\/h2>\n

|\u00a0 GLOBE CORRESPONDENT \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0MARCH 05, 2013<\/p><\/div>\n

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There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, fruits that are native to the New World. Though we associate many tomato dishes with European cuisines, the bright red rounds were brought to Europe after the Spanish explorers found them in the Americas.<\/p>\n

A dispute over pricing of Mexican tomatoes reached a tentative agreement last month. Mexican tomato prices are typically lower than American-grown varieties \u2014 Florida is one of the largest producers \u2014 with the Sunshine State claiming that Mexican tomatoes are priced too low to compete.<\/p>\n

Because we rely on tomatoes grown outside our area for so much of the year, we wondered how much of a taste difference there is among regions. In our markets, we tend to see tomatoes from Mexico, Florida, Canada, and Maine (those northern growers use greenhouses).<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0922\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We tasted a small sample of the smallest tomatoes (often the sweetest this time of year). They go under various names, such as \u201ccherry,\u201d \u201cpearl,\u201d and \u201ccocktail.\u201d Ruth Hazzard, vegetable specialist at the University of Massachusetts Extension in Amherst, says, \u201cThere are so many factors that can affect the flavor of the tomato. It is not just about genetics. It has to do with when they were picked \u2014 ripening on the vine or off \u2014 and how far they traveled.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0931\"<\/a><\/p>\n

At the tasting, we were looking for good tomato flavor (harder to find than you think), a balance between sweet and acid (tasters often called this \u201csour\u201d), with good texture on the skins.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0929\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The winner was Backyard Farms of Madison, Maine, where the smallest ones are called \u201cpearl\u201d tomatoes. \u201cTastes like a summer tomato, sweet and juicy,\u201d said one. The Florida tomatoes didn\u2019t do as well, with complaints like \u201ctasteless\u201d and \u201ctough skins.\u201d Mexico did a bit better: \u201cLight but fresh tomato taste,\u201d and \u201cnice red color,\u201d but many found the skins tough, \u201clike a rhinoceros,\u201d according to one. Hazzard says that the farther a tomato has to travel, the more bruise-resistant it has to be, hence a tougher skin.<\/p>\n

After the tasting, we tossed all the leftover rounds into a saucepan and sauteed them with leeks and butter. The skins cracked, the seeds popped out, and the tomatoes turned jammy. A quick whir in the blender and we had a creamy tomato soup. It tasted almost like summer.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Canada<\/h2>\n

JemD Farms Pearl Tomatoes<\/b><\/p>\n

($3.99 for 1 quart)<\/i><\/p>\n

Size and color stood out for these chubby orbs. Several tasters used the word \u201cpleasant\u201d to describe the scent and flavor. \u201cLarger, redder than any others, not sweet, but juicy and pleasant.\u201d \u201cNice color, a bit mushy in texture, less taste than I expected.\u201d \u201cRich red color. Not strong tomato taste.\u201d \u201cSome lightly spicy tomatoey scents; rather thick chewy skins, and very little tomato flavor. Moderate acidity.\u201d One chose it as the favorite: \u201cEasy to cut, juicy, good tomato aroma. Good mixture of tart and sweet.\u201d And one was unimpressed: \u201cBlah. Skin too thick.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Florida<\/h2>\n

Gargiulo Farms Cherry Tomatoes<\/b><\/p>\n

($2.99 for 1 pint)<\/i><\/p>\n

The lightest in color of these tomatoes. Skin texture was an issue and several tasters disliked it, calling it \u201ccardboard.\u201d One: \u201cIt could be a cucumber, hard to tell.\u201d \u201cOff taste; dreadful; could be another fruit or veg \u2014 just not sure what.\u201d \u201cUtterly devoid of tomato character.\u201d \u201cTough to cut, tough skin, and difficult to chew.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maine<\/h2>\n

Backyard Farms Pearl Tomatoes<\/b><\/p>\n

($5.99 for 1 pound), pictured above<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cSweet,\u201d was the word for this dynamo. Most agreed that this was a tomato that had some scent. Six out of 9 tasters chose it as the favorite and several as second best. \u201cSome pleasing tomatoe-y scents; juicy pulp with very good tomato flavor and just-right perky acids.\u201d \u201cGood texture, though skin a little tough. Some flavor. Faintly sweet.\u201d \u201cSmells like a tomato.\u201d \u201cTaste is excellent.\u201d \u201cNice bright tomato flavor.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Mexico<\/h2>\n

Del Cabo Certified Organic Cherry Tomatoes<\/b><\/p>\n

($3.99 for 1 pint)<\/i><\/p>\n

This was the only option for a cherry tomato at several Whole Foods Markets. Many commented on the tough texture with mixed reviews on taste and smell: \u201cAlmost nothing to sniff; tough skins and zeroflavor.\u201d \u201cHard flesh; not much juice; no taste.\u201d \u201cTaste is good. Hard, crunchy skin.\u201d \u201cSweet smelling. Stronger taste but I\u2019m still not hooked.\u201d \u201cVery firm to cut.\u201d One chose it as least favorite: \u201cTough and sour.\u201d<\/p>\n

NatureSweet Cherry Tomatoes<\/b><\/p>\n

($2.49 for 10\u00bd ounces)<\/i><\/p>\n

The overriding theme in these comments was about the skin texture. \u201cFirm, thick-ish skin.\u201d \u201cNo particular aroma, mealy texture. Skin somewhat tough. Sweet taste follows a sour one.\u201d \u201cFresh tomato smell when cut. Skin smooth and uniform. Slightly soft texture. Very light and bright tomato taste.\u201d \u201cModerate tomato flavor; some depth; a bit mealy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trader Joe\u2019s Pearl Tomatoes<\/b><\/p>\n

($2.79 for 14 ounces)<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cJuicy\u201d appeared on many comments, as well as \u201cacidic\u201d and \u201csour.\u201d \u201cNice juice. No aromatics.\u201d \u201cSofter but still firm. Seeds\/juice not splurting out all over me.\u201d \u201cSour fresh taste \u2014 juicy.\u201d \u201cSolid, but chewable skin. Nice color.\u201d \u201cFlavor rather leafy and herbal rather than tomato-y. A bit more acidity and zip, perhaps because it is less ripe.\u201d<\/p>\n

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  By Debra Samuels |\u00a0 GLOBE CORRESPONDENT \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0MARCH 05, 2013 There are hundreds of varieties of tomatoes, fruits that are native to the New World. Though we associate many tomato dishes with European cuisines, the bright red rounds were brought to Europe after the Spanish explorers found them in the Americas. A dispute over pricing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3401,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83,109,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-taste-kitchen-articles","category-vegetables","category-vegetables-and-legumes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3400"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3400\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3408,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3400\/revisions\/3408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}